WSJ/NBC News Poll: Pessimistic Voters Blame Everyone

The American public’s mood is among the darkest in the past 40 years as voters remain pessimistic about their personal financial state and blame everyone within range for the financial crisis.

The latest Journal/NBC News poll shows voters’ economic worries boosting Sen. Barack Obama as he widens his lead over Sen. John McCain, 49% to 43%. (Click here for the full story).

More than three- quarters of those surveyed say the country is on the wrong track. That’s one of the highest marks in four decades — decades that have spanned two impeachments, several major wars and multiple recessions.

The economy topped the list of voters’ concerns, with six in 10 saying that issues like job losses and home foreclosures were more important than foreign policy, social and domestic concerns.

In regards to their personal economic situations, only 35% of those polled said they were confident and optimistic, while 56% said they were worried or uncertain.

Turning to the Wall Street rescue plan, voters still aren’t sold on it. Only 40% approve of it, while 38% disapprove. But a majority of voters say the approach was necessary even though it wasn’t the best one. Only 11% say it was the right approach.

“When you only get 11% saying that was the right approach, then can you be surprised the markets are down 500 points this morning?” says Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who helped conduct the survey with Republican pollster Neil Newhouse.

Americans are fuming mad – at everyone, the poll shows. Voters were asked whom was to blame for the current financial crisis and were given options like banks, the Bush Administration, homeowners who took out loans they couldn’t afford, Congress and investment banks. Instead of choosing one of those, most respondents – 24% — volunteered the answer that everyone was to blame.

“You pick up the anger that Americans are expressing regarding this issue,” says Newhouse. “There’s enough blame to go around on this and voters have no hesitation about blaming everybody.”

The rescue plan likely had an effect on voters’ feelings about government intervention as well. The poll’s results showed a near tie between voters who think the government should do more and those that say it’s doing too much. Just three months ago, those who said the government should do more led, by 11 percentage points, those who thought the government was doing too much.

“That is a victim of the bailout and the way in which Washington has handled this,” Hart says.

Roughly half of the voters say they were somewhat impacted by the Wall Street rescue plan. Those affected were primarily higher income and professional voters, and the majority of them say they are voting for Obama.

The overall discontent with the state of the country, and especially the economy, is a boon to Obama. Voters say he would be better than McCain at improving the economy, 46% to 29%.

The poll was conducted Oct. 4-5 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8%. -Sara Murray

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